Easy Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe

• 2-1/4 cups warm water
• 2 T. instant yeast
• 1 T. sugar
• approx. 6 cups flour
• 3 T. olive oil
• 1-1/2 t. salt

Water should be a temperature of 105-115 degrees.  Combine water, yeast, and salt in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.  Then add remaining ingredients, adding the right amount of flour to make a smooth, soft dough.  Divide into thirds for thin-crust pizzas, or in half if you prefer a deep dish.  This recipe can be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled if you need to!

After dough is rolled out on pizza pan, brush the edges with olive oil.  Spread with pizza sauce next, then shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, ground beef and onion, fresh veggies (we like zucchini, kale, tomato, onion, and green pepper), or for a change of pace, use salsa in place of the pizza sauce and top with cheddar cheese and black beans.

If you try this recipe, I want you to succeed.  Here are some specifics:  I use 15-inch pizza pans; SAF yeast; extra-virgin olive oil; Gordon Food Service pizza sauce or plain tomato sauce sprinkled with Italian seasoning.  I have also tried using part whole wheat flour in my dough.  I like it fine, but the kids always prefer the good old white flour crust.